ORIGINAL: MeanV2
In my experience Whitetail behavior varies quite a bit from one area to the other. I am sure it depends on Buck to Doe ratios, Age structure, etc. While that may be true in the area he hunts. It may never hold any validity in lots of the Whitetail's range.
The 2 spots I hunt are 30+ miles apart and the rutting activity of Bucks vary widely from one area to the other. I have always thought it strange, but I have learned to adjust and I think adjusting and learning from the Bucks You hunt is the key to being successful on a regular basis.
Dan
Great response Dan- What I find funny is how we often tend to listen to a successful hunter or respected biologist and hold everything they say as Gospel. One of my favorite quotes was from an article written about Karl Miller. Karl Miller went on to talk about his studies on whitetail but quickly reiterated something when he and the author went hunting and it goes something like this, "I am a deer biologist but I don't know everything about hunting". Here is a guy that lives and works with deer and the QDM program and he is quick to point out that one shouldn't expect him to go out and kill a Booner because of his knowledge.
We as humans can't even figure out the weather or each other yet some think they are experts and know everything a deer will do. You are right Dan, 30 miles can be a world apart and season to season things can drastically change. What we need to do is take what we read and use what applies to our hunt. Rattling is great but if you have a doe to buck ration that is outta whack then you might be wasting time, some areas respond to doe calls while others buck calls. You could take the best hunters in this forum and make them swap areas and you might find their success stories change in the new environment. I have a step brother that killed over 80 deer in Illinois with a bow and then moved to Arkansas, it took him three years to get his first deer once he got there, guess his Big Rock, Illinois method of hunting didn't apply
